75 villages/sub-districts in Rejang Lebong begin constructing KMPDK outlets
Rejang Lebong, Bengkulu (ANTARA) - The Industry, Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises Office (Disperindagkop and UKM) of Rejang Lebong Regency, Bengkulu Province, states that 75 out of 156 villages and sub-districts in the area have begun implementing the physical construction of Koperasi Merah Putih Desa Kelurahan (KMPDK) outlets.
The Head of Disperindagkop UKM Rejang Lebong, Anes Rahman, when contacted in Rejang Lebong on Wednesday, stated that the construction of these KMPDK outlets is part of a village economic strengthening programme targeted for complete implementation by mid-2026.
“Of the 75 villages/sub-districts currently building these Koperasi Merah Putih outlets, three have already been completed 100 percent, namely the KMPDK outlets in Lubuk Ubar Village, Air Putih Baru, and Pungguk Lalang,” he said.
He explained that although these three outlets have been completed physically, operations have not yet started. Each KMPDK is still awaiting the distribution of supporting facilities and supplies of goods for sale, such as staple foods and other essential needs.
Regarding legality, he said that all 156 villages/sub-districts spread across 15 sub-districts in Rejang Lebong already have management structures and legal entities formed from the outset. However, many village/sub-district parties are still constrained by land issues and thus cannot start physical construction.
“The challenge for those who have not yet built the outlets is the lack of land. Additionally, the outlet construction site must be strategic or along major roads because of its function as a trading outlet. If the position is in an alley or far from main road access, it is not suitable,” he said.
According to him, in line with the implementation guidelines (juklak) and technical guidelines (juknis), the programme budget is only allocated for the building and its contents, not for land acquisition. Therefore, villages or sub-districts are required to provide the land themselves, either using regional government assets or unused community land.
“It is very regrettable if villages or sub-districts miss this opportunity just because of land issues. This is a grant for the building along with its contents,” he said.
As a solution to land limitations in some locations, the central government is now offering the option of vertical (multi-storey) building construction.
“Based on the results of the latest coordination meeting, there is a policy change in the form of buildings for the second phase. For villages with minimal land, the building can be multi-storey. For example, the ground floor can be used for the KMPDK outlet and the upper floor for the village office,” said Anes Rahman.